So, I've been part of a TMNT group on Facebook for a good year now and ever since the announcement of Rise of the TMNT there's been a divide in fans. Some have grown to like the art style and formula, and others have had a hatred for it. Some of the naysayers have said harshly that it's not for them, but I've told others sincerely that it's just not for me after watching the first episode.
The first problem I had with it was its overuse of over the top humor. kids younger than 9 are sure to eat this show right up because of it but it just baffles me how adults find this aspect of the show entertaining. obviously past predecessors also had their own humor but it didn't feel over the top like it's constantly done here.
Raph, as a leader has been a well known problem to others and in my opinion Splinter letting him have that role just rubs me the wrong way. on a side note, making him look jacked compared to the other turtles makes him seem a bit overpowered, and if that's the case, why bother giving him weapons?
Compared to Raph it seems like the creators purposely made Leo look scrawny so he's shoved to the back, also seeming like an excuse to give him the role of being the new clown to Mikey, which, the jokes and tidbits of him trying to be funny fell flat.
As for Donatello it's hard to say whether or not I had a dislike of his new personality, the mad scientist kind of vibe he gives off when working on a device was interesting, but just like the other turtles he attempts to make humorous remarks, his character wasn't too bad.
April, I didn't really want to talk too much about. I'm all for creators having a little diversity with race but the April in this reboot is just too obnoxious for me.
Lastly for Splinter, it was nice that the creators had him go back to his roots in watching tv, but aside from that he really doesn't do much else besides making fun of the turtles' performance in attempting to train. is this really how he's going to be portrayed now?
Overall I just couldn't take all of these changes seriously. maybe it's just me being an old fart here but when a reboot has to turn a franchise inside out into a mangled up mess like this I just can't find it watchable. at least with the 2012 cartoon there were nods and references to the source material and past installments of the ninja turtle franchise that made it fun, and the turtles had more bearable character to them, but as for Rise of the TMNT, it's given me a reason to pick up on the comics to check those out instead.
